Need help with purchase decision "orange or white"

[demoman357]

Two tractors remain. I will purchase within a week. I greatly appreciate any help.

SUT No.1: 2006 Kubota L3830 with FEL, MFWD, private party selling, kept indoors, 58 hrs, HST, no rear hyd. remote, ag tires, comes with a Land Pride MF7072 flail. Dealer says warranty is still in effect for 4 months.
$18,000 + $1895 (puchase of turf tires and rims)

SUT No.2: 2009 Bobcat CT335 with FEL, MFWD, new dealer stock, turf tires & rims, two rear hyd. remotes, comes with a Kioti 72" rear finish mower.
$17,096.

The machine will be used mostly for mowing 10 acres of grass in a golf course-like setting (hills & trees) that is currently mowed with two 42-inch riding mowers. Some FEL work for a compost heap and some tilling and disc work. This will be the last tractor in my life on earth and I want it to last. Both brands are well represented with local dealers who actually stock many parts and have trained staff (I double checked).

I really like some of the features on the Bobcat, like the rear lever for raising/lowering the hitch, draft control is also nice. On the Kubota, the hydraulic lift mechanism seems to be better design/built.

I need to throw the dart, somebody point out the dart board for me. Thanks.

 

[DK35vince]

For regularly mowing 10 acres I recommend at least an 84" finish mower.
Either machine can handle a 7' no problem.

 

[Dmace]

If I were buying the last tractor I ever plan on purchasing, I would only buy new so I know the maintenance is on schedule and the machine is not abused in any way.

A brand new tractor with a 4 year warranty set up the way I want it sounds much better then a 3 year old tractor with barely any warranty left, little regular use, and almost $3000 more set up the way you want it.

That new tractor smell is great!

 

[WH401]

I second the "new" purchase if you plan for this to be your last tractor. You know what maintenance has and hasn't been done and if something mechanically goes wrong than there is a warranty to protect that. A 72" mower will work very well for cutting 10 acres. Unless the property is all flat field than I wouldn't look into an 84, you'll run into too many scalping issues and uneven cuts on varying terrain. I maintain 11 acres with a 72" mower and I can cut the entire place in 3 - 4 hours, half the time it used to take me with a IH Cub w/ a 59" Woods belly mower. I'll never go below 72" again for cutting this much acreage.

 

[chh]

I go new myself for all the reasons everybody else has mentioned, warranty, already has the turfs on it, and the finish should pretty well do what you want, but you should be able run a bigger one if you wanted. If you decide to ad a different kind of mower later the rear remotes already on the Bobcat may be needed.

 

[piller]

New is nice. Having said that, a tractor with 58 hours is not even broken in yet, I would consider such a tractor to be almost new if I could be convinced that it had been properly maintained and that it was not abused.

I mention this as I bought a new kubota in 2008 which now has 55 hours on the meter. My tractor has been meticulously maintained and has had a very easy life so far, it's in better than new condition.

Back to your Orange vs. White choice. I compared specs that I found here:
Bobcat CT335 Compact Tractor - Bobcat Company
Kubota GrandL 30 SERIES

Kubota provides more information in it's specs, for example I did not see implement hydraulic flow rate listed for the Bobcat. I could not find any specs for the Bobcat front end loader. I think the L3830 came with the LA723 loader, which looks a lot beefier to me than the loader shown on a picture of a CT335.

It seems that draft control was an option for the L3830, if it's important to you I would check to see if it is something a dealer can add or if you can find another L3830 with it. Of course, if you are really down to these two tractors, and you want draft control, and only one of these tractors has draft control, then there is nothing left to decide.

The kubota spec's out better all the way around; more PTO HP, more 3 point hitch lift, longer wheelbase.

You mentioned that you plan to do some tilling and disking. Were you planning to buy ag tires to accomplish this with the Bobcat?

Have you test driven both tractors?

 

[Baucom]

Bobcat. No doubt about it. For less money (far less when you factor in buying new rims and turf tires for the Kubota), you can have a new tractor with a mower vs. a 3 yr old (but very low hr) tractor with a mower. I would only buy used if I were paying cash and realized a significant cost savings.

Granted, the Kubota has better specs, but there are 2 options there too: 1) if the extra capabilities are a moot point, buy the CT335 and save some cash buying new, or 2) if the extra capabilities of the L3830 are needed, then step up to a CT440 for about the same money (possibly less counting the added cost of rims and turfs on Kubota) new.

 

[warhammer]

Bobcat.

Two tractors remain. I will purchase within a week. I greatly appreciate any help.

SUT No.1: 2006 Kubota L3830 with FEL, MFWD, private party selling, kept indoors, 58 hrs, HST, no rear hyd. remote, ag tires, comes with a Land Pride MF7072 flail. Dealer says warranty is still in effect for 4 months.
$18,000 + $1895 (puchase of turf tires and rims)

SUT No.2: 2009 Bobcat CT335 with FEL, MFWD, new dealer stock, turf tires & rims, two rear hyd. remotes, comes with a Kioti 72" rear finish mower.
$17,096.

The machine will be used mostly for mowing 10 acres of grass in a golf course-like setting (hills & trees) that is currently mowed with two 42-inch riding mowers. Some FEL work for a compost heap and some tilling and disc work. This will be the last tractor in my life on earth and I want it to last. Both brands are well represented with local dealers who actually stock many parts and have trained staff (I double checked).

I really like some of the features on the Bobcat, like the rear lever for raising/lowering the hitch, draft control is also nice. On the Kubota, the hydraulic lift mechanism seems to be better design/built.

I need to throw the dart, somebody point out the dart board for me. Thanks.

 

[CurlyDave]

I think the Kubota is a better choice.

Service records, what service records? The first recommended service is at 50 hours. You might be 8 hours overdue. Big whoop.

Kubota has been making their own tractors for a long, long time. John Deere has been making their own tractors for a long, long time. Bobcat has been rebadging somebody else's tractors for a little while.

Every time I have bought the new, "just as good as", product, I have lived to regret it.

 

[spruce Deere]

All things considered new is nice, Bobcat is BRAND new in the tractor arena. Will they be in the tractor ring five years from now? Just my opinion but I think kubota will be around in five years. The motana, mccormick back from past I guess, and tym tractor dealers showed up in this area around five years ago, new, proud and bragging just like bobcat. But now ALL of the montana, mccormick, tym dealers are all but extinct around here. Kubota shows up over 20 years ago and still here, with excellent parts availability. I would go orange between the two for the "last" tractor purchase.

 

[Artful Dodger]

I vote the Bobcat. And like someone else said; step up to the 440 for the same price as the Kub. The 440 will handle the largest of everything Bobcat has to offer, for any of their CUTs at this time. The 335 won't.

 

[Dmace]

I think the Kubota is a better choice.

Service records, what service records? The first recommended service is at 50 hours. You might be 8 hours overdue. Big whoop.

Kubota has been making their own tractors for a long, long time. John Deere has been making their own tractors for a long, long time. Bobcat has been rebadging somebody else's tractors for a little while.

I would be more worried about abuse then proper maintenance. So your only reasoning for saying the Kubota is a better choice is they have been making their own tractors for a long, long time...
In that case go buy an Allis Chalmers tractor, it doesn't fit your needs but they were made for a long time.
Also, those rebadged tractors have been made by their parent company for a long time as well.

All things considered new is nice, Bobcat is BRAND new in the tractor arena. Will they be in the tractor ring five years from now?

Bobcat may be new in the compact tractor arena but have been making/selling equipment since 1946. I am sure they will be around for plenty of time and even if they stop selling tractors, they will still have parts and service for them whether it's from Bobcat or Kioti.

 

[demoman357]

I made the choice today and purchased a Bobcat CT335 with 8TL FEL with 66" Bob-tach bucket, 2-rear hyd. remotes, 1-front hyd. remote for grapple, turf tires/rims and industrial tires/rims for $16.5k The Kioti DK35seHST was $17k with FEL, 1-rear hyd. remote and no front hyd. remote and only turf tires.

The comment about moving up to a 44hp machine was well placed but for my application the tractor will mostly be a big lawn mower. Getting both turf and industrial tires and wheels was the clincher. I will probably never use the second rear hyd. remote but what the heck. Grapple is something I already have daydreams about. The Bobcat may not be around in X years, but the machine is really a Kioti, so parts are available within 5 miles. having previously purchased a Bobcat skid steer (T300) the (much larger Kioti) Bobcat dealer was willing to back up the tractor with a larger service department with better trained technicians, and some cool trashy stuff like beverage mugs.

Probably the most odd thing is that my wife said the Bobcat looked more "cute" than the others. I honestly do not know the criteria for "cute" in tractors but I guess we have one.

Thanks to all responders at TBN, you all contributed greatly.

 

[rcrcomputing]

Actually, it will help that she thinks it's "cute". More tolorant of the "other woman" maybe, hopefully..

 

[irvingj]

Yeah-- never underestimate the power of "cute"!

 

[Dmace]

Congrats on the purchase and Welcome to the extended Pack! Post some pictures when the animal arrives.

 

[powergod]

congrats, lets see some picture of the cute new tractor

 

[TerryJ]

Congrats on going with the new Bobcat. There are alot more advantages to buying new over a used machine with only 4 months remaining warranty. Let's see some pics as soon as possible.

 

[demoman357]

Ok folks, the tractor will arrive June 15. I will post some pictures of my "cute" little tractor then. This is my first and only (I hope) tractor. Now I have to find a mower for it. Has anyone seen a 3PH platform that mounts a herd of fast-eating goats?

 

[Punk]

Congrat's Man,
Hope when you grow old and gray, you can sit on your porch and still admire your cute tractor setting under the huge oak tree you planted with it.